Why Are More Couples Choosing Divorce Mediation?

Courts in Massachusetts are backed up, always have been backed up, and will presumably be backed up for the foreseeable future. Because of this, divorce cases can often take over a year to complete, and the time that is actually spent in court can feel rushed due to the number of other cases. All too often a decision is made by the court leaving one spouse feeling as if he or she did not get a chance to tell the full story.

Mediation provides an opportunity for divorcing spouses to discuss the process of their separation in a more personal and private forum than in a court room, often times saving the divorcing couple thousands of dollars by avoiding expensive litigation. Divorcing spouses are able to speak to one another in the presence of the mediator, and deal with issues that a court might not want to spend too much time on.

Attorney Justin Kelsey brings his experience as a family law attorney with him into mediation in order to provide divorcing spouses with useful feedback regarding the legal issues of divorce. If mediation is successful, both divorcing spouses can go to court with a separation agreement drafted by the attorneys at Kelsey & Trask, P.C. to be reviewed by the judge before entering it as a judgment. If you and your spouse have decided that you want a divorce, but would like the process to be handled carefully and privately without having to spend a fortune and put your life on hold for years as the court process plays out, or if you have any questions as to how divorce mediation works, call attorney Justin Kelsey to schedule a one-hour consultation at 508 655-5980.

Comments

What is the purpose of the Divorce Nisi waiting period?

In Massachusetts the statutory waiting period after a Judgment of Divorce and before the divorce becomes final (or absolute) is called the Nisi period. After a divorce case settles or goes to trial, a Judgment of Divorce Nisi will issue and it will become Absolute after a further ninety (90) days. This waiting period serves the purpose of allowing parties to change their mind before the divorce becomes final. If the Judgment of Divorce Nisi has issued but not become final yet, and you and your spouse decide you don't want to get divorced, then you can file a Motion to Dismiss and the Judgment will be undone. Although many of my clients who are getting divorced think the idea of getting back together with their ex sounds crazy, I have had cases where this happened. In addition to offering a grace period to change your mind, the Nisi period has three other legal effects: 1. The most obvious effect of the waiting period is that you cannot remarry during the Nisi period, be...

New Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines (2021): Big Changes, Little Changes, Typos & some Unexpected Results

UPDATE: The court has released a web calculating version of the 2021 MA Child Support Guidelines Worksheet . It resolves some of the typos referred to below, but the unexpected calculations still apply. Every four years, per federal mandate, the Massachusetts Probate & Family Court revisits the Child Support Guidelines through the work of a Task Force appointed by the Chief Justice. The 2021 Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines were recently posted. They take effect on October 4, 2021. If you are interested in a training on all of these changes to the new Child Support Guidelines: DMTA Presents the 2021 MA Child Support Guidelines Update – Attend this event to learn the key updates you need to know for your mediation clients. Presented by Justin Kelsey of Divorce Mediation Training Associates and Skylark Law & Mediation, PC . For a full comparison of all the tracked changes between the 2018 and 2021 Massachusetts Ch...

Online Tool for Creating Parenting Plans

It is our hope that all families find a way to resolve conflict peacefully. This is especially true when children are involved. Divorced or separated parenting has many complications and the first is just deciding how to share time with a child from two separate households. Developing a schedule can result in a lot of tension, especially if parents have trouble picturing how this new schedule will interact with their work schedules and the schedules of their children. To help make this easier, we've created an online tool for creating parenting plans that is simple and easy to use: We encourage parents, regardless of the process they are using to divorce, to use this form to assist in evaluating and settling custody disputes. The form allows you to choose between the Model Parenting Plan proposals or customize your parenting plan over a four week period by clicking directly on the form. When you click on a section of the calendar it switches between ...

Search This Blog